Understanding Criminological Research

Dr John Martyn Chamberlain is a Medical Criminologist at Southampton University. His academic background covers criminology, law, bioethics and medical sociology. His primary research interests include the study of medical malpractice, negligence and criminality, as well as the role played by specialist forms of medical and health-care expertise in the identification and governance of ′troublesome′ social groups, including the unwell, the deviant, and the criminally insane. Drawing on this background, he has written widely on medical-legal developments in the regulation and discipline of doctors, as well as contemporary developments in criminological theory and research, publishing two well-received introductory textbooks Understanding Criminological Research (Sage 2012) and Criminological Theory in Context (Sage 2015).

′Clearly written and tightly focused on the nuts and bolts of managing the research process, Chamberlain′s book will become an invaluable guide for students at all levels of undergraduate and postgraduate study - and is very likely to grace the bookshelves of many staff members, too′Martin O′BrienReader, School of Education and Social Science, University of Central Lancashire ′John Martyn Chamberlain has written an excellent introductory text that will be useful to lecturers, undergraduates, postgraduates and practitioners involved in understanding and conducting criminological research. Rooted in his own biographical connection to and aspirations for criminology as well as reflective practice Chamberlain engages the reader in a journey from identifying research topics and questions through strategies for conducting and analysing to writing up. This book is a ′must buy′ for the broadest possible readership′Professor Maggie O′NeillDurham University ′An accessible and engaging introduction to undertaking criminological research using quantitative and qualitative methods, this book will both support and reassure students facing the sometimes daunting task of doing their own research project′Karenza MooreLecturer in Criminology, Lancaster University ′Provides a thorough, clear and precise step-by-step guide for ′doing the business′ of criminological research. Carefully balanced between qualitative and quantitative approaches, amply supported by examples and exercises, this book is an invaluable resource for students of criminology at all levels′Professor Majid YarUniversity of Hull

• An Autobiographical IntroductionGetting Started: Focusing on DeskworkQualitative and Quantitative Fieldwork StrategiesGrounded Theory AnalysisNarrative AnalysisDiscourse AnalysisUnivariate AnalysisBivariate AnalysisDeskwork Revisited: Writing a Project Report